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Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/9/2008 1:47:50 AM
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slimon11
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Candy bars, Golf balls with scripture printed on them, t-shirts, you name it, they sell the Christian version. Do you think this type of marketing has gone too far? Or are these things useful for witnessing, making a statement of what we believe?
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/9/2008 9:07:15 AM
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earthless
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From: where pigeons are wearing sweaters....
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They usually make the statement that we're fanatics and out of touch with reality.
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Probing Today's Religious Movements | Promoting Doctrinal Discernment & Critical Thinking | Providing Reasons for Christian Faith & Ethics
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/9/2008 9:55:43 AM
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TrustingGod
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Something that has bothered me is the number of businesses that use God's name or a variation of it. I totally understand wanting to give God glory and telling the world that it belongs to God; however, I think we "throw" God's name around without respect.
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/9/2008 10:07:33 AM
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humbleinspirit
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This has been a problem since the 1980's. Christians have their own sub-culture where we have "Christian" everything! To quote an old Steve Taylor song:
You'll be keeping all your money
In the kingdom now
And you'll only drink milk
From a Christian cow
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/9/2008 10:15:22 AM
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Neeva_Candida
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This guy deals with this very topic on a frequent basis:
A Little Leaven
~Neeva
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/9/2008 10:49:45 AM
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solarflare
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Too commercial and I agree with the statement that many Christian T shirts are 'empty wrappers.' Not to mention bumper stickers, WWJD bracelets, necklaces and all the trite one-liner expressions that some people think 'explains' their belief. I mean it may explain their belief, but not Biblical Christianity.
< Message edited by solarflare -- 8/10/2008 4:50:35 PM >
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/10/2008 1:26:16 AM
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SonInMe1
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What is a cross on a necklace?
Kinda the same thing.
Why don't we all meet in shacks?
Kinda the same thing.
What about the dinners? The bingo? The car washes?
Kinda the same thing.
Those fish emblems on cars. The religious licence plates. The scriptural references painted on cars. I can't tell ya how many times as an unsaved person I saw John 3:16 printed somewhere...but I had no idea what it was or what it said and certainly what it meant.
Having said all that....I don't care one way or another on this issue. If it helps people to know the Lord...why not? If we are percieved as nuts for "advertising" God, well we are nuts to the world anyways.
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You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
James 4:4
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/10/2008 7:36:06 PM
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armydude
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quote:
ORIGINAL: 3cappuccinosmom
quote:
Something that has bothered me is the number of businesses that use God's name or a variation of it. I totally understand wanting to give God glory and telling the world that it belongs to God; however, I think we "throw" God's name around without respect.
Yeah. This is a side of "CHristian commerce" that has long bothered me, especially as we have recently had very bad experiences with several business people who make a big deal of their Christianity. Lying, skimping on work, trying to take advantage of us, etc.  For a while I wondered if there was something wrong with us, but in every situation, we have ended up finding out that others besides us had had similar bad experiences with these people. It's such a shame.
I'm also a little perturbed by "Christian advertising". On our local Christian station we hear:
--a dentist talking about his mission experience. Come to my practice because I'm a missionary?
--Christian jewelers--often ads referring to "refining fires"
--Christian basement/foundation fixers who's "sell" is that you need an invisible fix so potential buyers of your house don't ask hard questions about why your basement had to be fixed (IOW, avoiding full-disclosure)
--A Christian auto dealer who has a yearly "Resurrect your credit" sale at Easter time. To me, that is the most crass and irreverent one I have heard. 
This is something I can understand. If you're a Christian in business then do a good job, give people good deals, and treat them with respect. You won't have to advertise yourself as a "Christian" business then, because people will know.
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No act of kindness is too small when measured by nail-pierced hands.
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 8:54:06 AM
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car2ner
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thanks for the link to A Little Leaven.
Some of those items were so tacky I had to laugh! IMHO they could add the Mary Mother of Jesus candles I see in the grocery store.
I think we need to include God in business as well as our personal lives. He is not a marketing tool, but like Army Dude mentioned, if business owners conducted their sales WWJD then they would stand out.
And I think God has a great sense of humor. I wonder if he chuckled at the football bobble head? If we can bobble head celebraties in fun, then why not Jesus? I say this, though, with respect and I realize some folks would think it is insulting.
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"May your days be long and your hardships few".
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 9:18:43 AM
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musicboss11
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The "christian stuff" can be usefull tools, but I have seen it used and abused to much as well. As with almost anything in life it can be used well or badlly. Kind of like the person who flips you off as they pass you on the road, and when they get in front of you you notice a "christian" bumper sticker or liscence plate holder. Or the cussing, trash talking person wearing the "christian" tee shirt.
It also drives me crazy when I'm in a "christian" bookstore, and people are buying "stuff" (at the end of the day that's all it really is) and I hear: "oh Lord, I don't know how I'm going to pay my rent" (or make my car payment, or buy groceries, or....) "but I'm buying all of this for your glory." Like God's going to say: "well gee, because you bought the latest 3rd day CD, and the latest Max Lucado book, and that discount tee-shirt with the matching flip flops I will take care of your rent/payment/food/etc". I've also seen people ask others to pray with them/for them because they are buying to much stuff, and don't know how they are going to make the credit card payment when the bill comes. Grr....
Something else I've often thought about is that God is the creator of all things so why is it that all of the "christian stuff' is a copy of the world (for the most part)? Things that make you go hmmm.....
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 11:09:17 AM
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redeemedsaint
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I usually call this "Slap for Christians." Replace the S with a C. Has to comply with TOS.
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Get off the track cause the freight train is coming - Coach Bobby Lee Duke from Facing the Giants
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 12:08:45 PM
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GregandJenny
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quote:
This is something I can understand. If you're a Christian in business then do a good job, give people good deals, and treat them with respect. You won't have to advertise yourself as a "Christian" business then, because people will know.
the same goes with being a Christian person. If you follow Christ and live for him, why you gotta advertise it on your body or on your car?
G
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 4:25:34 PM
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KuKu
Posts: 922
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quote:
ORIGINAL: car2ner
thanks for the link to A Little Leaven.
Some of those items were so tacky I had to laugh! IMHO they could add the Mary Mother of Jesus candles I see in the grocery store.
I think we need to include God in business as well as our personal lives. He is not a marketing tool, but like Army Dude mentioned, if business owners conducted their sales WWJD then they would stand out.
And I think God has a great sense of humor. I wonder if he chuckled at the football bobble head? If we can bobble head celebraties in fun, then why not Jesus? I say this, though, with respect and I realize some folks would think it is insulting.
Cultural note- the Mary candles are part of religious tradition, not all that different from communion cups or prayer shawls, and thusly I find it hard to catagorize those in the same situation- though the way/place they are sold is a bit unique...
I wonder if God chuckles, or just rolls his eyes and shakes his head... while crying for those who are missing Him because of all the distractions
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 5:25:49 PM
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p31woman
Posts: 634
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From: Texas, and now South Dakota
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quote:
ORIGINAL: GregandJenny
quote:
This is something I can understand. If you're a Christian in business then do a good job, give people good deals, and treat them with respect. You won't have to advertise yourself as a "Christian" business then, because people will know.
the same goes with being a Christian person. If you follow Christ and live for him, why you gotta advertise it on your body or on your car?
G
Along those lines, it irritated me to hear that there is a local initiative sponsored by the Christian radio station to pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru line this Friday.
Now, I have no problem with the concept-- I've paid for the person behind me at random times, and someone did the same for me a couple of weeks ago. People all over the country do it, Christian or not. In fact, I think the first time I heard about it was on Oprah 10 years ago. 
But what irked me was that the Christian station wants people to tell the drive-thru attendant "I'd like to pay for the person behind me, AND will you please give them this letter," which I'm sure is some sort of tract.  Why not just do a kind deed for the sake of doing a kind deed? Why does it seem like with Christians, there's always got to be a catch? (At least, that's how I would take it if I weren't a Christian...)
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So don't let anyone pass judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh-Hodesh or Shabbat. These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah. Colossians 2:16-17
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 8:01:13 PM
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musicboss11
Posts: 559
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I've done the "pay for the person behind me" thing sometimes, and I've had it done for me. It feels great on both ends. When I'm doing the pay thing sometimes I say nothing. Sometimes I ask the cashier to tell the person to "pay it forward" (rare that I say that though). Sometimes at Christmas time I ask the cashir to tell the person "merry christmas". As I said, usually I say nothing. I love doing it when I can, and it's touching when people do it for me.
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 9:41:22 PM
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Neeva_Candida
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quote:
Are the "Honk if You Love Jesus" bumper stickers a bit much?
You know a friend of mine was at a red light recently. He was directly behind a car sporting one of these bumper stickers. So....
He honked and they flipped him off.
~Neeva
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 9:42:29 PM
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Neeva_Candida
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quote:
I got behind a guy with a bumper sticker that said, "HONK if you love Jesus." I honked. He flipped me off. No lie.
Whoa, we must be in the same town!
:)
~Neeva
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RE: Has Christianity gone too commercial? - 8/11/2008 9:44:28 PM
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Neeva_Candida
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quote:
But what irked me was that the Christian station wants people to tell the drive-thru attendant "I'd like to pay for the person behind me, AND will you please give them this letter," which I'm sure is some sort of tract. Why not just do a kind deed for the sake of doing a kind deed? Why does it seem like with Christians, there's always got to be a catch? (At least, that's how I would take it if I weren't a Christian...)
A catch. You're right.
I mean can't you just buy the guy a meal and not worry so much about his eternal destiny? C'mon.
~Neeva
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